Review: Ohms, Ninth Studio Album from Deftones

Upon the release of the Deftones’ ninth studio album “Ohms,” I couldn’t help but feel a slight tinge of disappointment during my first listen.

Sure, I had enjoyed the first and self-titled single “Ohms” as the track fits perfectly within the boundaries of Deftones’ core sound with its overdriven guitar tone, blistering drums, and groovy bass rhythms topped by singer Chino Moreno’s signature vocal tone.

The rest of the album, however, struck me as a jumbled mess of sound and recycled ideas from the iconic group.

It has been almost three years since the release of Ohms, and I have found myself pleasantly surprised with realizing what I was missing out on in that span of time.

“Ohms” is an album that gathers some of the best qualities of Deftones and brings them together into a wonderful package. The album is sequenced perfectly, with the 10 tracks complementing each other as it continues.

It dawned on me that the “jumbled mess” I had described earlier was most likely a product of my own reservations and opinion of what Deftones should be, rather than what they actually are as shown through the content they provide for us.

Some highlights of the album include the tracks “Error,” “The Spell of Mathematics” and “Radiant City.”

“Error” begins with a clashing guitar chord and a drum groove from co-founder and drummer Abe Cunningham, which is then followed by the satisfying crunch of Stephen Carpenter’s guitar tone thanks to his use of extended range instruments such as the eight- and nine-string guitar that allows for further sonic exploration, which has been a recurring theme with Carpenter throughout their 34-year career.

“The Spell of Math-

From the minimalistic packaging to the wide variety of scents being offered, Native Cosmetics has received a lot of attention over the past year and has recently found its way into my daily routine. I decided to take advantage of these past few weeks to document my experience of this “all natural” product so I can let the people know if it’s worth a try. While roaming the aisles of Walmart I stumbled upon products from the viral TikTok brand, Native. This brand has been talked about on the social media platform for months now and is marketed as a natural product that is sulfate, paraben, dye and phthalate free. The first bottle I looked at was coconut and vanilla. This scent smelled almost edible.

The coconut was exceptionally smooth and refreshing and its pairing with vanilla brings a type of warmth to the scent that reminds me of freshly baked cookies. Although this scent was not initially bought that day, I can say it has found its way into my daily routine. The scent I decided to begin my testing with was cucumber and mint.

This body wash smells extremely fresh and clean; the cucumber brings a very fruity yet subtle aroma while the mint creates a refreshing scent that I believe activated some type of neurotransmitters because I felt extremely joyous and excited to use this later that day. After setting the water temperature to my liking and preparing myself for the unknown, I grabbed my loofah to begin my journey. I first started by applying the soap to my scrubber, I noticed that the soap is thin and poured out the bottle very easily so I was sure to be careful and not pour too much.

ematics” follows “Error” perfectly, with two simple stick clicks from Cunningham bridging the two tracks with each other.

The track is filled with the usual Deftones trappings one might expect, which is always a plus. The last two minutes of this track is where it shines thanks to some cleverly placed snaps courtesy of Death Grips drummer, Zach Hill.

“Radiant City” kicks off with a bouncy, overdriven bass tone that is filled in when the rest of the band kicks in after the intro of the song. With a catchy, triumphant chorus, this song is sure to catch the ear of Deftones’ dedicated fanbase.

Overall, I was very im-

I then began to lather the soap in the scrubber and paid close attention to how foamy it got. It was perfect, the bubbles the soap created didn’t feel too thick or thin and held that consistency when applied to my skin.

After showering I felt like I had just stepped out of the spa. I smelled fresh and my skin felt rejuvenated. I saw no signs of irritation and didn’t feel like I was covered in chemicals. This was a game changer.

It’s been five weeks since I first began using Native products and I can admit I have become obsessed. I now own seven different scents of body wash and have each one dedicated to a different mood. I also own three Native shampoo and conditioner sets and two Native deodorants that I rotate in and out.

I highly recommend Native body wash to anyone who wants to smell good, feel good and wants to know the products they use are good.

Sometimes a gift can say what words can’t

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and more than likely, you’ve got someone special that you’d like to treat to a nice gift or date. That’s all well and good but it can be difficult to pin down the perfect gift to show that you care. It’s easy for someone to figure out what they want for themselves but it can be just as simple to figure out what someone else would like. It all boils down to understanding who you’re buying for.

For Valentine’s Day, odds are you’re buying for someone important to you. With that in mind, you already have many good ideas for gifts but haven’t realized it. That or you’re unsure about them.

If someone is special to you then you already know a lot about them. You know their interests, their hobbies and even their curiosities.

If you need more information, you can just ask them some questions about the things they enjoy. Sometimes people like to talk about their interests when prompted so it should be easy to learn more by doing that.

A good and subtle question to ask is if there’s anything new happening within their interests. They might even tell you about a specific thing that they want but can’t justify getting for themselves. You can never go wrong with buying a gift related to someone’s favorite things in life.

However, if you want to majorly surprise someone, you can give a gift based on a hobby or series that they’ve never gotten into but had shown genuine interest for. If you know the person well enough to see that they’d enjoy something they passed on, then that’d make for a well thought out gift. Receiving something based on your interests is nice but there’s a real charm to getting something completely unexpected that can show how much the gift giver understands you. pressed with “Ohms.”

If you’re hopelessly desperate to find a gift, you can just ask someone directly to see what they want. It’s not the best way to find out what to buy and it ruins the mystery that comes with a present. You could also check to see if they have a viewable wish list online. Just be sure you’re not spending more than you reasonably should for a gift.

Love is in the air but be sure to spare some of it for your wallet. It’s nice to give someone a gift they’ll adore but it’s not good to do it in a way that puts you in an uncomfortable spot. Set a limit for yourself when looking around.

Make it flexible though because sometimes you find that one genuinely perfect gift and it’s only a little bit more than what you anticipated spending. Keep all this in mind and you should be able to find that perfect gift for your partner.

As I said earlier, the album is sequenced perfectly and the tracks flow and complement each other very well but are also able to stand on their own at any given time. Deftones have done it yet again with this piece of work, and I find it very regrettable that I did not see it this way three years ago.

Based on the book, the film “She Said” tells the story of two journalists and their fight to uncover the Harvey Weinstein scandal. The Weinstein scandal comes from the numerous sexual assault accusations and charges that had been provided by multiple women against Harvey Weinstein.

The film opens to a scene of a young woman in Ireland who stumbles upon a film crew that seems to kindly take her in but soon after it shifts to her running down the street enveloped in panic and fear.

Fast forward 24 years, the world is in a frenzy as sexual assault accusations are aimed at Donald J. Trump. As the media begins to zero in on workplace assaults, journalist Jody Kantor stumbles upon multiple actresses who have claimed to have been assaulted while working with a director. Getting word from these actresses was easier said than done as many of them feared what a powerful man could do in retaliation. With the help of a fellow journalist, Megan Twohey, they work together in order to investigate what has really taken place under the film company.

While the movie is depicted as drama or biography, it can be said that it is a powerful thriller. The saying of “a picture is worth a thousand words” has never related to a film more as this film gives voice to multiple stories and countless brave women. “She Said” not only follows the journalists throughout their journey at work but it shows how much effort and heart they put into the story as it begins to affect their home life. It dives into their multiple statuses of not only being a journalist but a mother and women as well.

Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan both took the cake when it came to acting as they were able to express their frustration of wanting to get an- swers for the story. It felt as if you were right there with them waiting in anticipation for someone to stand up and speak the truth.

It could also be said that many supporting actors gave the same effect such as Samantha Morton and Jennifer Ehle as they portrayed survivors of Weinstein. It was captivating to see them reveal their experiences not just through voice but through body language as it depicted the trauma that was endured.

If you are one who likes riveting films that are based on truth, I recommend “She Said” as it will capture that inner journalist in you as well as your heart. “She said” can be streamed on Peacock now.